1. Field of the Invention
This invention has to do with disk drive suspensions, and more particularly with improvements in the design and structure of disk drive suspension electrical connectors that are used to carry current between a load beam-supported slider and suspension-associated signal circuitry. In a specific aspect, the invention provides a disk drive suspension in which the advantages of flexible conductive laminate segments, including lower cost mid easier fabrication, are maximally obtained while having the benefits of a metal layer containing flexible conductive laminate segment from the load beam rigid portion forward.
2. Related Art
Signal circuitry has been electrically connected to the slider, including the recording head carried by the slider, by various conductors including wire bundles and flexible circuitry with varying effectiveness and cost efficiencies.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a disk drive suspension having electrical connections which provide substantially the benefits of a flexible circuit connection at lower cost and with easier fabrication, and while eliminating a junction at the proximate end of the suspension. It is another object to provide an improved suspension in which the manufacturing advantages of flexible circuit, including ready automation of slider-to-flexure assembly and substantially bias-free attachment to the slider arc also realized. It is a further object to provide a suspension having a novel hybrid connector of metal layer free flexible circuit conductor and a wire layer including flexible circuit conductor, maximizing the advantages of each and minimizing the disadvantages of each in the resultant disk drive suspension.
These and other objects of the invention to become apparent hereinafter are realized in a disk drive suspension comprising a load beam having a distal rigid portion, and supported by the load beam a flexure carrying a slider head, an electrical connector running substantially the length of the load beam to the slider, the connector comprising an electrically integrated hybrid of different segments including a first flexible conductive laminate segment free of a metal support layer that is connected to signal circuitry and a second flexible conductive laminate segment including a metal support layer connected to the slider, the segments being arranged sequentially and in such manner that the slider head is electrically coupled by the first flexible conductive laminate segment at the proximal end of the load beam, and by the second flexible conductor at the load beam distal rigid portion.
In this and like embodiments, typically, the first flexible conductive laminate segment comprises at least one pair of conductive leads laminated with plastic dielectric, the first flexible conductive laminate segment is free of junctions between the signal circuitry and the second flexible conductive laminate segment, the second flexible conductive laminate segment is electrically collected to the slider substantially in slider movement bias flee relation, and the first flexible conductive laminate segment constitutes the entire length of the electrical connector up to the load beam distal rigid portion.
In a further embodiment, the invention provides a disk drive suspension comprising a load beam having a distal rigid portion, and supported by the load beam a flexure carrying a slider head, an electrical connector carried by the load beam along a major portion of the connector length, the connector comprising a two-component structure of separate, physically different conductors including a first flexible conductive laminate segment consisting of copper conductors and plastic dielectric and a second flexible conductive laminate segment comprising copper conductors, plastic dielectric, and a stainless steel support laminated to the plastic dielectric, the conductors being joined at the proximate end of the load beam distal rigid portion to define an continuous electrical path for carrying current from the slider head to signal circuitry beyond the load beam.
In this and like embodiments, typically, the first flexible conductive laminate segment is free of junctions between the device electronics and the second flexible conductive laminate segment, the second flexible conductive laminate segment is electrically connected to the slider substantially in slider movement bias free relation, the first flexible conductive laminate segment constitutes the entire length of the electrical connector up to the load beam distal rigid portion, and the load beam is apertured rearwardly of the second flexible conductive laminate segment, the slider is located on a first surface of the load beam, and the first flexible conductive laminate segment is located on (the opposite surface of the load beam, the second flexible conductive laminate segment being connected to the first flexible conductive laminate segment through the load beam aperture.
In a further embodiment, the invention provides in combination on a load beam: the noted first and second flexible conductive laminate segments, electrically coupled into a single electrical connector and arranged to conduct current from a slider to signal circuitry.